1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to insulated cable connectors and improvements thereof. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an insulated connector for Quadrax cables that is molded for easier manufacturing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Quadrax connector is a connector for Quadrax cables. A Quadrax cable is designed for high speed data communication, in the GHz range. Each Quadrax cable includes two pairs of wires. Each pair of wires is designed such that a high speed signal in one wire will have a predictable impedance effect on its mate, located on the other side of the cable. To prevent signal loss, the Quadrax connector cannot change the impedance of the Quadrax cables. Therefore, the structure of and the insulators in the Quadrax connector require specific geometry and materials.
Materials such as Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or Teflon® are commonly used to fabricate Quadrax connectors. For example, Teflon® has a favorable dielectric constant of about 1.6, which does not lower impedance. However, because of the tight tolerances required and the lack of moldability of Teflon®, machining the Teflon® can be a difficult and expensive process, resulting in an expensive part.